About the Artist:
Whatever I'm currently working on is the most important thing in the world.
Stuart Abelman, of Abelman Art Glass, has had a career as a glass artist for over 30 years. He began blowing glass during his senior year at Carnegie Mellon University.

Although his declared major was painting and drawing, his "direction," he says, "was to blow as much glass as I possibly could."Boris Dudchenko, one of Harvey Littleton's graduate students, allowed him working time at night when most of the campus was deserted and asleep.

Continuing classes at UCLA, Mark Pieser started Abelman working on his own glass formulas, which he still uses today in his studio, built in 1976. "We lit the furnaces in 1977, designed a line of glass and proceeded to nearly starve to death for the next five years," says Abelman.

"In October 1977, a former El Camino College student of mine named Mayauel Ward came to the studio. Over the years he became my friend, my brother-in-law and the right arm of the studio."

Educated as a fine artist, he achieves remarkable dimension by using molten glass in a painterly fashion. He creates an expansive line because "I have a lot of different voices to answer to," says Abelman, who works out of his studio.

"There are parts of me that love Tiffany iridescent art glass. Then I have a surrealistic side-the one that makes part-human, part-fish sculptures.